Fighting Drugs

It's a dangerous game of supply and demand, and sometimes when the demand becomes too great it turns deadly.

Police Chief Chet Epperson is pulling out all the stops to stomp out the problem.

"It's bad. It's unacceptable to have six homicides in three weeks. It's wrong; we shouldn't have those homicides, not that many. One death is too many."

While Chief Epperson works on the dealers, Rose Crance works on the addicts.

Jocelyn Boudreau says, "It’s much more widespread then people realize. People who use illicit drugs look just like you and I."

Coke and dope are still the big hits on the party scene, but according to Boudreau heroin has re-emerged.

"It's really an issue of access, along with a perception that heroin use is not dangerous."

She says drug abuse is especially popular with younger people because they have this sense of invincibility.

"Therefore, the use of a drug as severe as heroin just doesn't have the fear factor for a better term that it should."

And she says it's a drug that can bring a person to their knees in no time.

"And what we find is that people tend to not ask for help until something really significantly happens. This isn't an individual problem and it can be solved best by the community coming together to provide support."

And while Chief Epperson has a place for the dealers, Boudreau has a place for those looking for help.

"We want people to know that as insidious and as overwhelming as drug abuse are. There's always hope, and there is treatment, and treatment works."

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